Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-10-22

summer in Connecticut | went to a
large factory, and 1 saw over the door
written the words: mo Aamittance."
| entered and saw over the next door:
mo Adnittance." OF course | enter
ed. ! got inside and found it a pin fac
tory, and they were making pins, very
s%erviceable, fine and useful pins. SO
the spirit of exclusiveness has practl-
ticaDy written over the outside door OF
many a church: mo Admittance."
And if the stranger enters he finds
practically written over the second
door: mo Admittance," and if he
goes in, over all the pew doors seems
written: mo Abundance" while the
minister stands in the pu pit, hammer
ing out his little nIceties of belief,
pounding out the technicalities of re-
ligion, making pins. In the most prac-
teal, common sense way, and laying
aside the non-essentials and the hard
definitions of religion, 60 out on the
God-given mission, telling the people
what they need and when and how
they can get it.
THE SKEPTICs.
Comparatively little effort as yet has
been made to save that large class of
persons in our midst called skeptics,
and he who goes to work here will not
be building upon another mans foun-
dation. There is a great multitude of
them. They are afraid of us and our
churches, for the reason W don't know
how TO treat them. One of this class
met Christ, and hear with what tender
ness, and pathos, and beauty, and sue
cess Christ dealt with him: Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God with all
thy heart, and with all thy soul, and
with all thy mind, and with all thy
strength. This is the first command
ment. and the second is like to this:
namely, thou shalt love thy neighbor
as thyself. There is no other COM
mandment greater than this" Aud
the scribe said to him: well, master,
thou hast said the truth, for there is
one God, and 10 love him with all the
heart, and all the understanding, and
all the soul, and all the strength is
more than whole burnt offerings and
sacrifices" And when Jesus saw that
he answered discreetly, he said INTO
him: Thou art net far from the
Kingdom of God" So II skeptic was
saved in one interview. But few
Christian people treat the skeptic in
that way. Instead of taking hold of
him with the gentle hand of love. we
are apt to take him with the iron pine
ers of ecclesiasticism.
TIE CAUSE OF sKEPrICIsM.
You would not be SO rough on that
man if you knew by what process he
had lost his faith in Christianity. l
have known men skeptical from the
fact that they grew up in houses where
religion val overdone. Sunday was
the most awful day of the week. They
had religion driven into them with q
trip-hammer. They were surfeited
with prayer meetings, They were
stuffed and clicked witch catechisms.
They were often told they were the
worst boys the parents ever knew, be-
cause they liked to ride down hill bet
ter than to read Bunyan's Pilgrims
Progress. Whenever father and moth
cr talked of religion they drew down
the corners of their mouths and rolled
up their eyes. If any one thing will
send a boy or girl to perdition sooner
than another that is it. If l had had
such a father and mother l fear l should
have been an intidel.
Others were ripped up of skepticism
from being %grievously wronged by
some man who professed to be a Chris
tian. They had Il partner in business
who turned out to be a first-class scoun-
drel, though a protested Christian.
Twenty years ago they lost all faith by
what happened in
AN OIL COMPANY
which was Termed amid the petroleum
excitement. The company owned no
land, or if they did, there was no sign
Of oil produced; but the president of
the company was a Presbyterian elder,
and the treasurer was an Episcopal
vestryman, and one director was a
Methodist class leader. and the other
directors prominent members of Bap-
fist and Congregational churches.
Circulars were gotten out telling what
fabulous prospects opened before this
company. innocent men and women
who had a little money % invest. and
that little their all, said: 81 don't
know anything about this company.
but so many good men are at the head
of it that it must be excellent, and tax
ing stock in it must be- almost as good
az Joining the church." So they
bought the stock. and perhaps re-
ceived one dividend so as to keep them
still, but after u wlile they found the
company had reorganized. and had a
different president, and different treas
nrer and different directors. Other
engagements or ill health had caused
the former officers of the company
with many regrets, to resign. And all
that the subscribers of that stock had
TO show for their investment was a
beautifully
O~RNAMENTED CERTIFICATE.
Sometimes that man looking over his
old papers comes across that %certifi-
cate, and il is SO suggestive that he
VOWS he wants none of the religion
that the presidents, and trustees AMI